The settings for Academy of Art 2015 Graduation Fashion Show was a little different this year. On May 14, 2015, the student portfolio review and awards ceremony was held at 5pm in the campus building on 625 Polk Street, whereas the fashion show was held at 7pm in Concordia-Argonaut Club, 1142 Van Ness Avenue. And for the 3rd straight year, honored guest Lubov Azria of BCBG Max Azria Group was in attendance.

Student Portfolio Review, Reception, and Awards Ceremony

The student portfolio showcase has always been a delightful affair, with graduating students sharing their portfolios and their inspirations. Year after year, there is never a shortage of student talents. However, it’s always a serious time challenge to take more than a quick sweeping glance at students crowding both floors in 625 Polk. The prelude of the evening’s affair was a fine reception, regardless.

The reception led to brief remarks from Dr. Elisa Stephens, President of AAU, and Simon Ungless, Executive Director. It was followed by announcement of The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) scholarship award winners: Pitzy Villagomez Ortega (BFA Fashion Design) winning $10,000 and Anh Phuong Thy Do (BFA Fashion Design) winning $5,000. Academy of Art (AAU) School of Fashion alumna and 2014 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner up Ryan Roche won Distinguished Alumni Award, and she also formally invited Gisel Ko to be her intern in New York.

If the urgency of keeping the show going (in two different locations, no less) was not apparent enough, Simon Ungless kept it brief at the end of the announcement, saying, “I’ve got a fashion show to produce.”

Academy of Art 2015 Graduation Fashion Show

The setting for 7pm fashion show was rather extraordinary. The 2nd and 3rd floor of Concordia-Argonaut Club became a long, multi-level runway that spanned in three different rooms. Hats off to the production team and the models, who no doubt had quite a workout. As one catering staff member put it during briefing, “You guys [are] fancy!”

21 collaborative menswear and womenswear collections from students majoring in Fashion Design, Knitwear Design, Menswear Design, Technical Design, Textile Design, and Jewelry/Metal Arts showcased their readiness to leave meaningful marks on the fashion industry. The guests poured in to fill in chairs on both floors shortly after 6:30pm. It was a full house; guests coming in late were unfortunately refused at the door. But the show went off smoothly, featuring many oversized silhouettes and cocoon, cape shapes in addition to new creative perspectives.

As for hair and makeup styling, the models sported athletic skin glow with tomboy brow combination by Victor Cembellin and his M.A.C. Cosmetics team, and gilded hair style by Jon Reynan and team.

Below are all 21 superbly executed mini collections of Academy of Arts 2015 Graduation Fashion Show. Special thanks to Christian Hadidjaja for the photos. Enjoy!

Keith Gunning

This collection, made entirely of neoprene and featuring spray-painted cable ties, was the one with the most visual and editorial impact. Keith was heavily inspired by “flamboyant designs of the late legendary London-based artist Leigh Bowery.” He also won a Paris Sister City Scholarship Exchange at Studio Bercot in Paris, France.

Gyuwon Jeong and Jimin A. Kim

Menswear Design and Textile Design Collaboration
In my opinion, the best menswear collection of the night. This collection was inspired by Mexican Colombian and South African Ndebele tribes. The eccentric haircuts, clothing proportions, and unexpected combination of color and patterns mirror those found in both tribes. Those giant chain links? Too cool for words.

Livia Bianda

Inspired by football players’ exaggerated silhouettes and uniforms, Livia Bianda presented a graduation collection made from lycra, mesh, and wool suiting material. Her point of view is one of the clearest, and based on her already extensive experience and accomplishments, it’s no surprised that she has been awarded an internship with Adidas this summer. Perhaps we’ll see cooler Adidas fanny packs in the near future.

Gisel Ko

Congrats again to Gisel Ko for getting a NYC internship with AAU alumni Ryan Roche. She was inspired by a painting of a girl skiing clad in traditional dress Korean. Watching Gisel’s collection was like witnessing a fashion-forward Christmas coming early. Ko’s hand-knitted floral bomber jacket, jacquard sweater, and mid-calf dresses look both sporty and elegant.

Linka Rowland

Linka Rowland was inspired by “oversized silhouettes and a new interpretation of fringe.” Wool, leather, and neoprene garments are adorned with hundreds of white, pink, orange, yellow and black rabbit foot key chains. It’s a feathery delight!

Dominic Tan

I truly adore the calmness and measured movement of Dominic Tan’s garments. Inspired by uniforms and Singaporean cultural identity, the collection is made from ice-dyed cotton blends in shades of pink. I’m not sure whether it’s intended, but the garments have this androgynous quality that’s very exciting.

Eleonore L. Santos and Anna Metzel

Fashion Design and Textile Collaboration
This collection was inspired by the work of figurative painter Francis Bacon, more specifically his use of color and erratic brushstrokes. No doubt the constructions of these garments were complex. However, I especially love the overall visuals. They remind me of a stack of sketching, tracing, and cut papers, strewn randomly on a table and softly blown by the wind coming in through the window.

Gaia Giladi

I felt a little dizzy seeing this collection, but at the same time it brought me back to my childhood memories. Inspired by skate parks and image distortion / manipulation, Gaia Giladi’s use of 3D lenticular printed materials gave an eye exercise of depth and movement.

Damien Chandra

The garments in were constructed to give “the illusion of being cut apart and sewn back together.” Wool fabrics in polka dot and herringbone patterns, laminated wool, acrylic faux fur, and rayon acetate were used for Damien Chandra’s senior collection. He was inspired by figurative sculptor Willy Verginer’s signature style of color blocking and abrupt textural changes.

Patricia Wijaya

I admire the fact that Patricia Wijaya was inspired by scoliosis back braces. Scoliosis has been a part of Patricia’s family history, and it’s remarkable for her to use it as an empowering symbol. She juxtaposes casual denim with luxurious, intricate hand beading.

Amanda Manashi

It’s worth noting that Amanda Manashi won a Paris Sister City Scholarship Exchange at L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris, France. She drew inspiration from Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard for this collection. The intricate pleats encased in slightly loose silhouettes with controlled volume are crazy good. Amanda’s collection definitely is one of the top collection from that evening.

JC Munoz

I LOVE this collection, which was inspired by aviation and fighter jets aerodynamics. JC Munoz is winner of multiple Royal Society of the Arts awards, specifically the Pointcarre Design Software, License and Support, Award for Textile Design, the $1000 Sustainable Design Practices Award – sponsored by Techmer PM. The curves of the 300 felt stripes pieced together was so dynamic and fun, and I cannot wait to see how JC continues to make his mark in the fiercely competitive fashion industry.

Ruone Yan

The cephalotus (venus fly trap) served as Ruone Yan’s inspiration for this collection. I love that she dyed her canvas with oolong tea to get this color, and the leather pieces were most complimentary to the collection as a whole.

Shuman Yao

A fellow gaming girl! Shuman Yao was inspired by sci-fi video game Anachronox. This former costume designer and Harper’s Bazaar China styling assistant used rubber polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wool cashmere, polyester and denim brought a high fashion interpretation of spacecrafts and spacesuits. She also created closures inspired by Saturn’s rings for accents. Congratulations for Shuman for winning Paris Sister City Scholarship Exchange at Studio Bercot in Paris, France!

So there you have it. The Academy of Arts 2015 Awards Ceremony and Graduation Fashion Show were a masterful showcase of talents. As is with every passing year, our special thanks to Ian Mackintosh for inviting us to this prestigious affair, and I wish the best for all of the student designers and AAU School of Fashion educators.